Rukeyser, whose "Wall $treet Week" has run on public broadcasting for 22 years, held a panel discussion with five presidents of companies from the Lehigh Valley and Berks County.

He prefaced his two-hour discussion by expressing fear that Clinton is changing his economic plan "faster than the supercollider."

The crowd, heavily pro-business, cheered in support of each Rukeyser bash.

"I don't think what we need is a jobs bill," Rukeyser said. "What we need is government policies that will encourage private growth.

"That means lower taxes, not higher taxes. It means some restraint on runaway federal spending, and it means regulating apparatus that is not going to single out every industry as an enemy and then wonder why its growth rate slows."

Rukeyser, noting that a recession officially ended two years ago, said Clinton cannot reduce the national debt and spur recovery by increasing government.

Otherwise, Rukeyser said, we're looking at another Jimmy Carter.

Playing off Clinton's campaign slogan, Rukeyser suggested a new rallying cry for Clinton: "Just don't do something. Stand there."

The economics commentator then asked the panelists what advice they'd give Clinton if he had joined them on stage.

*"It's like an old Pennsylvania German saying, `He hears well, but he does not listen,'" said Delight E. Breidegam, founder of East Penn Manufacturing, Lyon Station, Berks County.

*"It's as if he's closing his eyes and his mind," said Charlotte B. Cooper, owner of Standard Offset Printing Co., Reading.

*"No new taxes, a balanced budget and no new regulations. If you don't listen, we'll sic Hillary after you," said William Devaney, president of Stanley-Vidmar Inc., Allentown.

And, of course, there was one dissenter.

*"I don't consider government a solution to all the world's problems. But it's not bad to have an administration that challenges us," said Jay S. Sidhu, chief executive officer of Sovereign Bancorp, Wyomissing, Berks County.

Rukeyser summed up the show by expressing his worries that the Clinton economic plan "has broken more promises than Warren Beatty."